Chapter Text
"UGH!" Zagan kicked a loose paving stone so hard that it soared over the castle wall. "Why is she like THAT!"
"Like what?" Temeluchus raised his eyes from a book he was reading on one of the courtyard benches. The light of an enchanted torch laid long shadows on his face, making him look unusually serious. "What's going on, and how is it important enough to detract from my reading time?"
"Norma is being sooooo ridiculous!" She was fuming at the thought of the condescending tone her girlfriend used with her. "She's acting like I should be able to read her mind! If I do something to annoy her, she shuts me off! I don't know what she expects from me!"
"Oh, sounds just like you." Tem turned the page and returned to reading; he'd seemed to lose all interest in continuing the topic.
"Does not!"
"Do too~" he drawled.
"Okay, whatever, bozo. Screw all of you. I'm out of here." She had to blow off some steam.
Bathmos was always dark but never quiet. All types of demons, monsters, and critters prowled the land under the moonlight. Most of them had enough sense to get out of her way. The Blood Queen rushed her nightmare steed through the woodlands, letting the cold air billow in her ears.
Her destination was slightly off the beaten path. A surprisingly lavishly built tavern stood in the middle of a cemetery. The black stone was polished enough to reflect the moonlight, and the purple flame of dark soulfire set the ambiance perfectly. She left her horse with a frightened-looking stable boy and walked right in.
"Look who's here! Hey everyone, it's Zagan!" a punk vampire roared at the top of her lungs.
Everyone inside the room turned towards the entrance, and a hushed murmur went through the group of travelers and vagrants. Some of them turned right around, avoiding her gaze, but others stared openly.
"Thanks, I really needed a hypeman there, Shiva." She walked up to the table, where a few of her friends had set up some sort of a drinking game. Dice were strewn around with a hand-drawn map and random things serving as pawns.
"At your service, your majesty." She cackled. "Damn girl, I haven't seen you in a while. What's up? Where's Boris?"
"Ugh."
"Aww, girlie, please, you're sooo not up to date." Betty took a sip from her glass. "She's dating a human now."
"Ayo? No way. I could never; I would've eaten them right up."
"We know Shiva." Everyone at the table sighed.
"Watcha doing here anyway? I thought you were too busy for us." Betty took another sip, looking at her over the rim of her glass.
"A girl can't change her mind anymore?" Zagan scoffed, but judging by the looks that got her, no one was buying it.
"Lover's spat." A beautiful vampire lady in a dark, flowing dress nodded wisely. "Classic Zagan. Never change, never change."
"Ha!" Betty chuckled, almost done with her drink. "Carm, you're so mean."
"Everyone shut up. What is this garbage?" Zagan sat down in the chair she pulled out from under some unfortunate traveler's ass and rested her elbows on the messy table in front of her.
"We're playing a board game," Shiva said with a grin. "It's just whatever. We make up rules as we go. Empty squares are the ones no one has landed on yet."
"Huh, Norma would probably like that." Zagan leaned in to read some of the challenges. They were all really reckless and stupid. "Or maybe not."
"You should take her with you next time." Betty traced her finger along the rim of her empty glass. "I'd love to see what all that fuss is about."
"You wish."
"Bet."
"Well, we're all curious." Carmilla swirled the dark red liquid in her glass before taking a candid sip. "You usually show off your trophy sweethearts."
"She's not-" Zagan growled, but when Carmilla's eyebrow rode up her forehead and her gaze focused, full of ravenous curiosity, she clenched her jaw, cutting herself off.
"Oh? Behaving like a proper gentlelady, you're making me blush a little." Betty fanned herself with her hands. "Now we just gotta meet her. If she's so good at making you behave, she must be a real catch."
"Did you forget how it feels to die?" Zagan snatched the empty glass from the table and squeezed it, causing it to crack. "I can remind you."
"Girls, girls, you're both pretty." Shiva finally sat down and took the die. "My turn, or do you want in?"
"I need a drink first," Zagan grumbled, stalking up to the bar angrily.
The bartender gave her a tired look but poured her a glass of crimson without even being told to.
She put down a single gold coin on the bar and downed it all at once before gesturing for another one.
He frowned, his bushy brows connecting into a gray furry line on his forehead, but again, he opted not to say anything and refilled it for her.
She took it with her and sat down at their table, watching as Shiva tried to balance a tower of shot glasses on top of her head.
"Say," Carmilla started glancing at her out of the corner of her eye. "How long have you been together with that human?"
"What's it to you?"
"Just curious." She took another sip; her glass was half empty now.
"Uh, like three months maybe?" Thinking about it made her shift uncomfortably in her chair.
"I see."
"Yeah, but she's taking her sweet time; she's even met her family, you know, like in a romance novel." Betty was slightly slurring her words, a bright blush blooming on her face. "It's so sweet, it makes me sick."
"Bats, I will actually kill you." Zagan rubbed her forehead; coming there was a bad idea.
"I was just wondering; she's still human right?" Carmilla pressed the topic, completely ignoring her loud company. "You're being patient. It's not like you."
"Well, maybe I'm not being patient enough anyway." She wanted to sound angry, but her voice cracked pathetically halfway through.
"Uh oh..." Shiva dropped the stack of glasses, causing them to shatter on the polished wooden floor.
"Pay up!" Betty giggled.
"Damn, okay." She tossed the other vampire a coin with a disgruntled look on her face.
"I think," Carmilla continued. "I think you're pushing yourself to be someone you're not."
"That's not it." Zagan shook her head. "I've never felt that way before. It's just different, you know?" She took a sip. The blood in her glass was cold; it stuck to her throat with its thick, metallic aftertaste that seemed almost bitter.
"Now, that's interesting."
"Yo, you done?" Shiva knocked on the table, getting their attention. "Your turn, Zag."
"Whatever, give me the dice." She's had enough of this. She came there to have fun.
She ended up having to pay for a few glasses and a chair, but they left the tavern without setting it on fire this time.
It was hard to tell how much time had passed. The moons drifted across the night sky, and it felt like it couldn't have been more than a few hours. Her horse was swift, and her mind buzzed enough with fresh blood to make her relax at least a little.
Carmilla's words weren't enough to make her doubt herself, not now.
She wasn't wrong.
If she hurried, maybe Norma would still be there in the castle. Maybe she could still talk to her. She wanted to; she needed to. There was no other way.
She almost flew down the staircase. If Norma were anywhere in the castle, she should be-
It really must have gotten late while she was gone…
Norma was asleep. She lay on top of the cover, curled around a pillow, and squeezed it tight even in her sleep. She had changed into her pajamas, and her hair was still a little wet. She looked so small like that.
Quietly, Zagan stepped into the room and sat next to her on the bed before reaching out and pulling the other corner of the duvet over her.
"Zagan?" She'd tried to be careful, but it must have been enough to stir her up.
"Yeah. Don't worry, just sleep; it's really late." She backed off and attempted to get up, but a warm hand on her wrist stopped her.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I shouldn't have said that. I don't know why I did. I know how it feels when people expect you to know everything. When they say one thing, but they mean something else."
Zagan turned to her to see tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.
"I'm the stupid one. You can't know what I want even when I have no idea."
"Not gonna lie, it hurt when you blew up on me, almost as much as a cracked rib." She tried to smile, but it must have looked fake because Norma just let go and buried her face into the pillow.
"You must be getting sick of me."
"Hah, not really." That got a genuine chuckle out of her. "It does feel like we keep having the same argument over and over though, don't you think?"
"What do you mean?" She looked up at her, her face red from crying.
"Well, I guess what I'm saying is, we just don't talk enough?" She tilted her head to the side, looking for the right words. "It's either that or we don't talk about the important stuff."
"I think you're right." Norma sat up, still squeezing the pillow against her chest. "I just think it's hard to know when I should say something."
"Let's try every time."
"That's a lot of times." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Yeah, it might be at the beginning, but you know, we're just getting started, right?" Zagan leaned towards her and delicately brushed a few strands of hair from her face, tucking them behind her ear. "I want to keep getting to know you better."
"I want that too."
They were close again. Her breathing was irregular and labored from crying, but she still leaned into her touch.
"You're warmer than usual." She closed her eyes, resting her cheek against her palm.
"I went to grab a drink. Sorry, it took so long." It felt nice to have her so close; she felt like a little furnace, and her heart thumped in a steady rhythm, resonating through her whole body.
"I was afraid I wouldn't get to see you before I had to leave for work."
"I'm here now." Zagan leaned in closer, close enough to feel her breath on her skin. "Can we try this again?"
"Please."
This time, it felt different. Soft, warm pressure and delicate friction between them made her want to keep going forever.
Norma sighed against her and reached up, wrapping her warm hands around her neck and pulling her gently into herself.
Eventually, they broke apart when Norma ran out of breath.
"How was that?" Zagan whispered, still barely millimeters away.
"You taste like blood."
"Oh, sorry. I, uh..."
"It's okay," Norma whispered, slowly letting go but not moving away. "It was nice."
A comfortable silence cushioned the moment between them. Any leftover tension dissipated as they sat close to each other, settling down and letting the emotions linger.
"When do you have to leave?" Zagan finally spoke up.
"In a few hours." Norma picked up her phone, looked at the clock display, and winced. "I should get more sleep."
"Do you want me to stay or...?"
"Yes, I don't want to be alone." She looked at the empty bed and hugged the pillow again.
"Okay, I'll go change and be right back."
Dressed in her sleeping gown and with her teeth brushed, she laid down and lifted the duvet, letting Norma under it with her.
Her girlfriend lay down next to her, and after a second of anxious fidgeting, Zagan felt a little tug on her clothes again.
"What's up? Can't sleep?" Zagan whispered in the darkness of the room.
"Can you turn over?"
"Like, away from you?" She rolled over to her side, and after a second, she felt Norma hug her, cuddling up to her.
"Thanks." She pressed her forehead against her back and almost instantly fell asleep.
Zagan lay in bed with her eyes closed and listened to her breathe. She hadn't needed to sleep for a long time now, but at that moment, a nap seemed like the most wonderful thing in the world.